ESL Pro League S7 EU: loss vs Ninjas in Pyjamas

A heartbreaking loss.

Yet another match at ESL Pro League S7 pitted NAVI.GG.BET against the Swedish powerhouse NiP in a dual Bo1. The series ended in a 0:2 defeat for Natus Vincere.

Game 1 - Natus Vincere [0:1] Ninjas in Pyjamas

The first game of the series started off with a couple of points going the way of NiP. The third round saw NAVI try to save the AK, but did not manage to do so in the post-plant situation - 5th round was an eco, yet s1mple had an AWP in his hands, which, unfortunately, did not yield the fruits - Zeus came close in 1v1.

The scoreline hit 0:7, and we found ourselves in quite a challenging situation.- though it seemed to give us a second wind as Natus Vincere got the first round on board. Unfortunately, this point did not lead to much, as the next few rounds were traded between the teams. Ninjas in Pyjamas kept getting more rounds - the first half ended 3:12.

The second half kicked off with a plenty of action, with GeT_RiGhT being the sole survivor - NAVI took the pistols. Being quite far down the scoreline, we started to climb back, getting 4 rounds in a row. Our economy was very strong, and the loss of 1 round did not hit us that hard -  we lost 3 and ran out of time to plant.

That was the only round the opponents got for a while, with the trades coming in for both teams. NiP still maintained the advantage, yet it shrunk considerably; however, any lost round would lead to map point. Unfortunately, exactly that happened almost immediately, as 2 rounds sealed the deal - the first map ended 12:16.

Game 2 - Natus Vincere [0:2] Ninjas in Pyjamas

The pistol round on de_inferno was taken by the Swedish team, as well as the next 2. Round 4 almost followed the suit, yet we managed to take it, claiming the first point on the board, yet it was reset right after. NiP were breaking ahead again, with 2 plants being successful - 1:5. The opponents eventually hit 8 point milestone and counting. Despite our best attempts, we could not hit our path, as eventually, the first half finished with 1:14 on the board.

The map situation was incredibly tense - a single mistake could prove to be fatal. We strung together a few rounds, making the advantage a tad bit more bearable - 4:14. However, Ninjas in Pyjamas eventually claimed the 15th point - map point. The pressure made us try our hardest, and a new series of rounds started for us. Some were incredibly clutch, while others seemed to go seamlessly. Unfortunately, Natus Vincere could not bring the overtime home, as de_inferno came to a close with 7:16.